The international community must do everything to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from escalating into an interstate war, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjárto said in Luxembourg on Monday.
Member States of the European Union are sharply divided on the crisis in Israel, Szijjártó said after a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, according to a ministry statement. The Hungarian government's position on the matter, he said, was clear: taking hostages and causing the death and suffering of thousands by firing thousands of missiles at a country was "unacceptable and inexplicable".
"So we consider it self-evident that Israel does indeed have a right to defend itself," Szijjártó said. "The European Union must stand by Israel as firmly as possible, since it is a victim of a terrorist attack."
"At the same time, we also think that the international community should make efforts to avoid escalation," the minister said. "If an escalation can't be avoided, a broadening of the Middle East conflict could create a situation that could poison the life of the Middle East and the wider region for many years and possibly decades."
The most important goal, Szijjártó said, was to prevent the conflict from escalating into a formal interstate war. "We hope all members of the international community will act responsibly," he added.Concerning the safety of civilians, Szijjártó said the ministry is in contact with all 15 Hungarian nationals still stranded in Gaza, from where it is currently impossible to leave. "We are, of course, working to make sure they can leave the Gaza Strip as soon as it is physically, politically and legally possible," he said.
Szijjártó also underlined the importance of making sure that the conflict does not weaken the stability of other countries in the region, particularly those such as Egypt, which is actually helping Europe in halting migration."If Egypt were not acting responsibly, if it weren't keeping illegal migration at bay, Europe would be faced by a migration wave from the south-east, which would pose an almost insurmountable security challenge," he said.
Meanwhile, Szijjártó assured Olivér Várhelyi, EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, of his support in connection with "attacks" levelled against him. "We believe it is totally normal and expected in this situation to monitor the transfer of all forms of EU funding if there's a chance that it could end up in the hands of terrorist organisations," he said.The minister also expressed concern over the "alarming" images seen on the streets of certain Western European cities.
"Modern-day anti-Semitism that has emerged in Western European countries is a cause for serious concern, as is the fact that demonstrations in support of terrorist organisations are permitted in various Western European cities," Szijjártó said. "This is unimaginable on Hungary's territory," he said. "It is not permitted to organise demonstrations in support of terrorist organisations in Hungary."
"We regret that western European countries think differently about this, and we regret that modern day anti-Semitism has reared its head in Western Europe," Szijjártó said, adding that this was an "obvious consequence" of the absence of joint European action against migration. The minister underlined that as long as illegal migration was "encouraged" from Brussels, Western Europe could expect the continued formation of parallel societies as well as a rise in anti-Semitism.
Source: MTI- Hungarian News Agency
